Kenley and Kobe’s Story

Whether you started co-sleeping because it was the only way anyone could get some sleep or it was your plan all along, there will probably come a time where you start wondering how to stop co-sleeping.

**In this blog, co-sleeping is referring to bedsharing**

You will likely try to stop co-sleeping on your own. Perhaps by doing the ever delicate process of transferring your sleeping child to their own bed…or the sneak out approach…or maybe you’ve even attempted letting your child cry-it-out.

And hey! These strategies may just work but for many families a structured sleep plan is going to ticket to transitioning away from co-sleeping for the long term. This was the case for Ashely and her husband Mike.

After trying several strategies on their own, Ashley and Mike still found themselves laying next to their four year old daughter, Kenley, every night and often returning to her bed in the early morning hours. On top of that Ashley and Mike would bring their 14 month old son, Kobe, into their bed when he woke in the night. All four of them were having fragmented and restless sleep.

They were TIRED and who could blame them? That is a lot of activity and bed shuffling all night long.

We worked together to transition both kids away from depending on co-sleeping to feeling confident about sleeping independently.

With some daytime schedule tweaks, firming up bedtime routines, and giving Ashley and Mike the confidence to be in control of sleep habits (and not the littles), both kids saw success. Kenley and Kobe were no longer co-sleeping for any part of the night and Mike and Ashley were able to enjoy evenings together again (and their bed to themselves).

Ashley and Mike purchased a three week sleep package and we tackled sleep training for both kids at the same time!

Here is what Ashley had to say about their experience working with me:

Q: What were the sleep challenges you were facing before working with a sleep consultant?

A: Kobe was used to co-sleeping (not our choice) with us and we needed him to sleep in his crib so that we could sleep. When we were able to get him to sleep in his crib, he would often wake up crying until someone went in and grabbed him and brought him to our bed for the remainder of the night.

Kenley wouldn’t go to sleep without someone laying with her. Once sleeping, we would have to sneak out and she would often wake up for the day at 5:30 ish.

Q: Why did you decide to hire Melissa to help you through sleep training instead of doing it on your own?

A: We needed to get a good nights sleep and we also needed to take our evenings back.

Q: What would you tell another family who is currently on the fence about hiring a sleep consultant?

A: Just do it! Don’t waste another day/night. You can’t put a price on sleep and as much as you would like some extra sleep at night, so would your children. The routines that Melissa helped us establish with our kids have been great and so rewarding.

Q: What did sleep look like after working with Melissa through sleep training?

A: Our nightly routines are great, the kids look forward to the books we read right before they drift off to sleep. Getting Kenley to sleep is easy peasy (knock on wood).

Q: Is there anything else you would like to add that you feel other families would find helpful about sleep training or working with a sleep consultant?

A: Melissa developed a custom plan that worked for our family, always had suggestions/ options and made it so easy to incorporate her ideas into our routines. If something doesn’t work, then she’s right there with another idea. Communication is easy and she’s very responsive. The night time routine that she helped us create is still going strong almost a year later. Kenley’s favourite part is picking out her favourite books to read before bed.

During Kenley’s sleep plan, we used a bedtime routine chart. This chart works great for toddlers and children to help them feel empowered during bedtime while also keeping them on task. You can snag a copy of my Bedtime Routine Chart here!

If you are wondering how to stop co-sleeping because it’s no longer a sleep arrangement that works for your family, it would be my pleasure to create a plan that you feel comfortable with.

Let’s chat about what it would look like to work together to meet your family’s sleep goals.